​​​​​​​Behold The Valley of the Dolls

by David James Mansour 

"I wanted From ABBA To Zoom to cover not only the obvious pop culture icons, but tackle the obscure and seemingly forgotten ones as well. In my broad research, I left no stone unturned!"

~ David Mansour​

Order your copy of From ABBA To Zoom by clicking photo above. 

Appearing on KMBC-TV morning news show in Kansas City in June 2005. I always brought a Barbie and Ken when I discussed From ABBA To Zoom, pop culture and toy collecting. I thought of them as my mascots.​

Although I was there to talk about Barbie, the producers of Pop Nation asked me if I'd talk about Pez and Crayola Crayons for the show since I wrote about them in From ABBA To Zoom.  Of course, I obliged! 😊

"On a steamy Saturday afternnon, we dropped by David's Mid-Century Kansas City home for a visit...perfectly nice and normal...nothing overly mind blowing until we walked down the hall to a closed door. 'I'll let you open it,' David offered, and here's what I saw..."

~ Stan Williams, The Elegant Thrifter 

In 2011, nine of my Barbie Basics dolls were selected to be supermodels for an actual fashion shoot. It was for the February issue of Kansas City Spaces magazine titled, "Oh, You Beautiful Doll." They modeled the latest spring fashion accessories. ​

"Just take in this gorgeous sea of Barbies and Kens from over the years dressed in dreamy, fashion-plate finery."

~ Stan Williams, The Elegant Thrifter 

In promotion of From ABBA To Zoom, I worked a tour of book signings, speaking engagements, and interviews with various media outlets, including television, radio, newspapers and magazines. The press labeled me an “Aficionado of American Pop Culture,” "Pop Culture Expert, and "The Man of Pop." ​

 A highlight was traveling to Washington, D.C. to a appear on the Barbie episode of Discovery Channel's Pop Nation: America's Coolest Stuff TV show to talk about America's favorite doll. This segment aired nationally for Christmas of 2005 and made me a nationally renowned “Barbie Expert,” with more interviews to come. ​

"At the end of a hallway lined with 60s-era paintings of large-eyed children by schlock-artist Margaret Keane, David Mansour has devoted an entire room to his toy collection. It's breathtaking, if you're into toys; an obsessively-organized room stacked floor-to-ceiling with shelves of Barbies, Kens, vehicles, Bratz snotty-girl dolls, lunch boxes, robots, bobbleheads—a collection arrayed and displayed as groups of mini-collections. Whatever recessive genetic trait causes collecting behavior, Mr. David Mansour has it real bad."

~ Verge Magazine, December 2005

Left: Star Trek actor George Takei with his copy of From ABBA To Zoom. Right: Rick Springfield signs his entry in my copy of From ABBA To Zoom. Bottom: Me, excited to discover From ABBA To Zoom being sold at the legendary Circus of Books on Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. 

In June 2010, Stan Williams, a writer, editor and blogger (Elegant Thrifter) from New York City was visiting Kansas City, and upon the suggestion of mutual friends contacted me about seeing the "Toy Room." Stan came with camera in hand and took photos for a blog story titled, " Fabulous & Frugal Fun: A Toy Story." 

Along with Barbie dolls I accumulated an extensive collection of other dolls, toys, action figures, lunch boxes, board games, and pop culture memorabilia. In my former Kansas City home, I dedicated a spare bedroom as the "Toy Room," which housed this collection. 

All the pop culture swirling around the dolls and toys were the inspiration for me to write the book, From ABBA To Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century, published by Andrews McMeel in 2005. ​